Active materials include those compositions that exhibit a change in stiffness properties, shape and/or dimensions in response to an activation signal, which can be an electrical, magnetic, thermal or a like field depending on the different types of active materials. Shape memory materials, a class of active materials, have the ability to reverse psuedo-plastic strain and return to a predetermined shape in response to an external stimulus (i.e., an activation signal). Accordingly, deformation of the shape memory material from the predetermined, original shape can be a temporary condition.